Precious
by Storybelle
Summary: Utomodachi rewritten. Previously updated in October last year the final chapter of Minto and Zakuro's story is here!
1. Words describing Zakuro

_**Precious**_: _1 of great value or of high price. 2 highly esteemed or cherished, dear._

"Mint! The point of school ending is to go home!"

I slammed the dictionary shut and returned it to the shelf. "Coming!"

Kimi handed me my bag. "Can you believe it? Who would give us such a stupid assignment?" Saki pulled out one of her hair ribbons as she talked.

"I was going to go to Paris next weekend! I don't have time for it!"

"Do you think he'll give us an extension for it? There's a fashion show on that I can't miss."

"Just cos we have social lives and they don't doesn't mean they should make our lives miserable with dumb essays!"

To be honest, it wasn't a stupid assignment. It was a good one actually. But my vapid, shallow friends can't see anything more than designer clothes and cute guys.

"_You have one week to write a report on who is most precious to you and why. Family, friends, anybody who means something to you, someone you cherish."_

"Oh my god, I swear it always rains when it's my chauffeur's day off," complained Kimi, scrabbling in her bag for her phone. On the other side of me Saki was already talking into hers.

"Mint! Do you need a lift?" I shook my head and they both looked shocked.

"But your hair!" wailed Saki.

I ran my fingers through my short dark hair. I had worn it loose that day, tying a ribbon in it at the front.

"It'll get wet, so what?" I shrugged. "My house isn't far."

They clearly thought I was nuts.

"Ok, if you're sure," said Kimi doubtfully.

"Minto, I don't know what's up with you lately. You're not acting yourself. You don't want to go shopping or do stuff with us, you're always mysteriously busy… you even got a job! You don't need one!"

I tug on my bags straps, ignoring them both. _There's someone I would rather spend time with…_

**XxX Precious XxX**

Crap. Crappity, crappity, _crap_.

Most best laid plans did not account for about a ton of cold, wet rain falling on your head. It hurt and I could feel my mascara running down my cheeks.

I'm totally all on my own out here. In a strange way it's really beautiful. The moon has already started rising in the sky. I can't tell if that is a plane or a star but I stop and wish on it anyway.

_Starlight, star bright_

_First star I see tonight_

_I wish I may, I wish I might_

_Have the wish I wish tonight_

I don't know what to wish. Isn't the fact that I want it so badly enough?

_I wish…_

"Minto…"

I think there's water in my ears. Someone is calling me.

"Minto…" The voice is sweet and achingly familiar. I'm still staring at the sky.

"Minto!"

I turn around…

And walk straight into somebody. Someone female. That much was obvious.

I'm blushing furiously. Hips, long hair, breasts…

"Minto?"

She's taller than me but sounds more or less my age. The only person I know taller than me is…

"Onee-sama?" My voice went up several notches. Not surprising. I just walked into the most beautiful model around…and touched her inappropriately, whether she noticed or not.

Zakuro Fujiwara. Glossy, raven hair, dark and intelligent eyes, an amazing figure and the most hypnotizing smile.

Seriously hypnotising. It takes a couple of minutes before I realise she's still repeating my name. _Stupid Minto!_

"Minto-chan? What are you doing out here?"

She's wearing jeans, long black boots and what looks like a red shirt peeking out from underneath her soft, dark velvet coat.

Her hair is twisted up into a bun with shiny clips in the shape of roses and her makeup is perfect. I'm still so close I can practically smell the cherry lip-gloss she always wears.

And she looks totally perfect because she had the sense to remember an umbrella.

"I got caught in the rain on my way home." She looks surprised and I wonder if she believed my lie. I hated lying to her. Zakuro is the one person I can't lie to. I always feel like she can see straight into my mind with those beautiful eyes of hers.

She smirks a little and then sighs. "Come here."

"Wha…wah!" She's pulled me by the back of my neck and under the umbrella with her. I'm probably soaking her coat and her expensive looking boots in a puddle that I can feel gathering at my feet, dripping off my school uniform.

She sighs again. "Come on you nutter. I'll take you home."

_**Beautiful: **__1 producing aesthetic or sensual pleasure. 2 generally enjoyable and good; excellent. Beautifully._

After a couple of blocks we start running like hell. I'm already wet but Zakuro squeals every time she steps in a puddle. The tendrils of hair around her face are starting to curl and spiral. Our hands are linked – I tighten my fingers around her long slender ones whenever a wave of water hits my legs, just because I can.

When the first bolt of lightening flashes across the sky we screech and laugh. What amazes me is that I only ever see Zakuro like this around me. She never laughs or plays around like this with anyone else.

That has to mean something, doesn't it?

We run up my driveway, skidding to a stop. She makes like she's going to leave, without even saying goodbye but I tug on her hand, silently pleading. _Don't leave me just yet…_

Every moment like this is special, sacred. I can't let it be over yet.

"Miss! Whatever are you doing out there? Your mother is worried sick! Why didn't you call…"

I ignore the maid's scolding and push Zakuro in the door. Instantly my mother rushes up to me and takes me and Zakuro into the living room.

Oh crap. I've just realised that this is the first time that Zakuro has ever been to my house.

Before I know what's happening I'm being stripped of my clothes like a child. Shoved into a nightdress while my mother presses a cool hand to my forehead. I swear I can feel Zakuro smirking but then she has to endure the same treatment and is quickly undressed.

If anyone ever found out Zakuro would kill me. Enigmatic and beautiful models do not end up in someone else's living room in their underwear.

But, oh my god. That's a secret I will take with me to my grave.

Zakuro is wearing black lacy knickers and a bra with red roses. On her toned stomach I can see her mark, clear as day. She has such pale skin and her legs are even longer with nothing to cover them. I'm openly staring but I don't care, drinking in her long, slender limbs, curves, every breathtaking inch of her.

And then it's gone, covered by a long lacy black gown – which clings to her still damp legs so I'm not complaining (do I sound perverted? Ever seen Zakuro with barely any clothes on and looking as embarrassed as hell? If not, shut up).

My mother is talking to Zakuro and when she hears her name she glances at me, obviously recognising it. Not from TV shows and magazines but from me.

Basically she knew. Figured out what took me several months to realise she knew in a heartbeat.

_Damn it._

"You're welcome to stay the night…"

What is my mother saying? Is she encouraging me to jump Zakuro?

Bad parenting skills, Mom.

Gah! Zakuro is agreeing! No! Rewind!

Panic, present. Hormones, taking over. My reason for living – sleeping right down the hall.

If my Mom brings out baby photos I will never forgive her.

_**Breathtaking: **__ exciting or thrilling_

Several hours later I lead Zakuro upstairs. If you're thinking that in the dirty way, so was I – but reality bites.

We had talked for hours. Stuff about school and the café and her next photo shoot. Nothing serious. But it was so cute, watching her hug a pillow, sipping tea and giggling.

"Is this ok?"

"It's beautiful," said Zakuro, walking around the room. I watched her anxiously. She walks over to the bed and touches one of the throw pillows.

_Damn, damn, damn! _

"Err…do you need anything else?"

Zakuro gives me a killer smile. "No. Thank you."

Oh god, I'm still standing in the doorway. And I'm still staring.

"Goodnight, Minto-chan." _So close…_

She delicately brushes a strand of dark hair away from my face and sweetly kisses my forehead before somehow getting me out the door and shutting it behind me.

I lean against the door in a daze.

_Oh shiiiiiiit. _

xXxP R E C I O U S XB E A U T I F U L XB R E A T H T A K I N G

I think I will delete UTOMODACHI. There is no way I can rescue it now. Anyway I will start chappie 2 whenever I can be bothered and I have a cookie.

Wanna cookie? Well, you can't have one until you tell me what you thought! MWAH HA HA!!!

This is where Prophecy-chan gets bitten by rabid readers who finally got pissed off at her for eating all of the cookies.

Damn. I want a cookie.


	2. Words describing Ichigo

_**Cherished/cherish:**__ someone held dear, to feel or show affection for. To keep or cultivate with care and affection; to nurture. To keep in the mind with hope or affection._

My first thought in the morning was that I could still taste burnt hot chocolate on my tongue.

_Buzz. Buzz._

What the hell is that?

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

My head is vibrating. But then I realise that it's just my pillow.

_What?! That doesn't even make sense in my head!!_

I shove all of my pillows onto the floor and pick up the tiny blue cell phone underneath.

_How did that…? _And then I shake my head. Don't wanna know.

The little pink cat symbol on the screen tells me that it's Ichigo calling. But what the hell is that lazy neko doing calling me so early?

Oh. Its 11:29.

I flip it open while I scramble on the floor for my pillows. "Hello?"

"Mint!!!" I pull the phone away from my ear as she babbles on about cake and Masaya and other crap for a moment.

"Ow!!"

"Minto? Are you ok?"

"Uh-huh. Just fell off the bed…"

"Ok…whatever. Anyway WHERE ARE YOU?!"

"Home…"

"Why? You were supposed to be here an hour and a half ago!! We're swamped! Lettuce broke another two plates…no wait, three… and Pudding is doing her fire breathing act again and I have a date in two hours! Ryou will freaking kill me if I leave the café like this!!"

"Ok, I'm coming!" I search in the cupboard for my café Mew uniform.

"Jeez and Zakuro isn't here either… It's totally unlike her…"

I freeze. And remember.

"Ichigo, I'll have to call you back, ok?"

Despite her protests I end the call and set off at a run out of the door and along the corridor.

Pushing open the door quietly I stick my head around it…and fall over my own feet.

_Damn! That was a totally Ichigo move…_

However the figure on the bed doesn't stir. Her eyes are closed and her dark hair fans out across the pillow. Zakuro sleeps on her back, with her arms across her chest. She's so totally perfect. I can't resist reaching out and brushing her cheek with my knuckles.

"Miss Minto?"

I straighten up hurriedly and give an order to a passing maid. "Could you ensure that breakfast is ready for me and Zakuro in about half an hour please?" I say in my 'I am so much richer than you and don't I know it' voice.

She leaves with a nod and a slight smirk.

Aah! I am totally losing my reputation here!!

When the maid shuts the door behind her Zakuro stirs. Deciding I'd rather not get stuck in the awkward situation of explaining why I am standing here like an idiot, I reach out and gently shake her.

"Zakuro. Zakuro!"

She bats my hand away and murmurs something in French. I'm not sure but I think she just swore at me.

"Zakuro!" I shake her harder and suddenly stop when she begins to speak again.

"Minto!"

She's still asleep…is she dreaming about me?

"Zakuro, wake up. Ryou is going to kill us as it is!"

Finally she begins to wake up. Her eyelashes flutter and then she yawns and stretches. "What's the time?" she asks sleepily.

"11:55."

She sits up suddenly, her hair a total mess. She looks even more beautiful when she looks all sleepy and dopey with her hair sticking out all over the place.

"Damn."

"I think your clothes are dry," I point to the mound of designer clothes on the back on a chair and nearly faint when I see her underwear on the floor by my feet. She must have taken it off after I left last night.

Ack! Is she not wearing anything under that gown right now?

I hurriedly get up but she tugs on my nightdress so hard I fall back down with her.

"We don't have to go yet, do we? We're already late so we might as well just go back to sleep for a bit…" She sounds so tired, her voice muffled by my shoulder.

I can only just keep remembering to breathe.

"Sure."

Against all better judgement I curl up against Zakuro and let my eyes close. Just for a little while…

_**Cute:**__ informal. Attractive or pretty, esp in a dainty or delicate way. Sexually attractive. Cutely, cuteness._

"Where have you been?!"

I love Ichigo, I really do. She's good for a talk and general best friend support stuff. And a laugh – normally at her. But she's very shrill under duress.

I'm still drinking my tea, watching the vein in her forehead throb. I should take a picture of that to show to Masaya sometime.

"Minto!! Are you even listening to me?!"

Erm…no.

"Of course," I say out loud.

She knows I'm lying.

"Liar!!"

Smart girl that Ichigo.

"Ryou! Ryou!! Come tell her!" Ichigo whined.

I poured myself some more tea. There's no way in hell he'll yell at me… not if he's seen the state of the kitchen anyway.

"Ichigo! What the hell did you do to this kitchen?"

Ichigo does her bunny-in-headlights thing and bolts out of the door, despite the fact that she's still in her uniform (See? Told you Ichigo was good for entertainment.)

Pudding slumps on a chair. The customer flow has dried up and we have to wait an hour or so before we get flooded again by kids who drift in after shopping.

"This is sooo boring!! Aren't there any aliens around? I wanna kick some bad guy butt! Not clean up tables!!"

"How about eating cake?"

Pudding hurtles over to the table where Keichiro stands with a tray of cakes and sodas. Uh…I remember when she last came over to my house, turned on the sprinkler, got crumbs on the carpet and started a free for all pillow fight.

Fight?

Being Mew Mint still seems strange to me. Cool obviously. I'm a super heroine for god's sake. That only ever happens…

Well, not in real life.

The bell by the door chimes and there's high pitched laughter.

"Welcome to café Mew mew."

_**Ditzy:**__ or ditzy (-ier, -iest) informal. Silly or scatterbrained. Ditztyness._

The car slowly pulls away and I can see Ichigo waving at me from the passenger seat. Just as it was time for the café to close, it started to rain again so Ichigo had to call her mom to pick her up and Lettuce had her umbrella with her so she and Pudding shared it as they more or less go the same way.

_I suppose Zakuro has gone home already…_

Having learnt my lesson last time I reach for my mobile to call for a lift.

If, you know, it wasn't still at home on my pillow. In a sulk I sit down on the step.

And then something blue is shoved in my face.

"Here."

I reach up and take the thing from Zakuro's hands and gently unfold it.

It's an umbrella.

Not the world's most romantic gift but think about it. So far in our 'relationship' all she's ever given me is a pat on the head, the last biscuit and months of unrequited love. Even if it was an umbrella it was perfect and special.

It was a pretty sky blue and the perfect size for me. The handle had a navy blue ribbon tied to it. On the umbrella there was a blue bird – an ultramarine lorikeet – with my name in italic-y script and sparkles all over it.

She had to love me! She had to! Even if it was just an umbrella…but then I saw Zakuro was looking at me.

"Um…Look on the underside…"

I open up the umbrella properly and there it is in blue thread.

'_Love Zakuro.'_

She's turned away from me. Something looks strange about her.

"Thank you."

"It's just an umbrella. So, y'know. You don't walk home in the rain again."

I get up – and where the hell did I get so bold? – And wrap my arms around her.

"Really," my voice is muffled. "Thank you."

I look at her and figure out why she looks so different. She's blushing!

"Or if you're going to…you don't have to walk home alone, kay?"

If I was stronger right then I could have – oh, so would have! – said it.

But as I hugged her, inhaling her perfume and general gorgeous Zakuro-ness I realised it didn't matter.

I would do.

But not yet.

No. Not just yet.

xXx C H E R I S H E D xXx C U T E xXx D I T Z Y

Please review darlings.


	3. Words describing Lettuce

_**Special: **__adj. 1. Distinguished from others in the same category because in some way superior. 2. held in particular esteem._

_**Special**__: Someone or something special._

I liked the way we looked to the world.

Zakuro was tall and elegant with her long hair streaming down her back like the rain that still pounded the sidewalk. Then there was me, grinning like an idiot.

On a crazy but amazing high of love and happiness, I reached out and linked our fingers and when she didn't pull away I slid my hand into hers.

"Zakuro, come on!" I suddenly pulled her over to a nearby gate and then let go and ran through it.

Turning around I could see her looking confused. "It's…a children's park."

"Meh? You never went on the swings as a child?"

"Was I supposed to?" Zakuro asks, looking unsure as she pushes through the gate and walks over to me.

"Strange girl. It's like, necessary to go on the swings at least once!"

"Yes, but I'm not a child and it's raining."

Ignoring her I sit down on one of them and swing backwards and forwards.

She uncertainly steps up to the swing and then brushes off the water and then sits down. By now I'm swinging backwards and forwards, higher and higher, watching her.

I startle her by breaking suddenly.

"Onee-sama… do you know how to use a swing?"

"Um…" She stutters and then sighs. "No."

She catches me looking at her. "Well, my mom wouldn't let me! I did adverts and things when I was younger so I didn't have time to do normal kid stuff."

Moments like these are what I live for. It's like when a mirror cracks or you break the caramel on a Crème Brule… She loses her face – the Zakuro Fujiwara, famous model face, and then she becomes _my_ Zakuro. The one that runs through the rain with me and watches dumb movies and hugs me while she sleeps.

I jump off my swing and stand behind her. Somewhere in my head the chibi me is doing a victory dance that you get in anime, the fluffy, romance kind that Ichigo watches.

I place my hands on her swing and gently push her. She screams at the sudden movement. "No! Minto, what are you doing?"

I push the swing again and reply calmly. "Teaching you to swing."

"But I don't need to know! Get me down!!"

"Nope!"

"Mint! No!"

I startle her again when I grab the chains and suddenly bring her to a halt. I lean down and whisper in her ear "Please? Humour me."

She nods – either startled by my closeness or my sudden boldness. Hell, I'm shocked at myself!!

She does what I say and soon she can do it by herself. I go back to my own swing, a little depressed. I was enjoying that.

"Hey, Onee-sama! It stopped raining!"

Sure enough, behind a cloud the sun starts to shine through. A clang of metal brings me back to the present.

"Hey," a soft voice whispers to me, so close I feel her breath on my ear. "Let's go."

Without any warning she links our fingers again, the way they were before and pulls me up and tugs me away.

"Hey."

Her hair looks almost gold in this light. I can see Zakuro's face changing – becoming the face that she puts on for the world.

"Let's go out. This Wednesday, we have that day off."

I squeeze her hand. That's all.

I don't mind her being someone different because I know that '_Zakuro_' is mine and mine alone and one day the world will know that. I'll stay by her side until then and every day after that.

_**Shy: adj. (-ier, -est) 1. Easily alarmed, timid. 2. Reserved or retiring, bashful.**_

I struggled to hold onto the tiny white and purple bead bracelet in my hand. To be honest, I've never made a friendship bracelet in my life but I was not going to screw this up.

_Yes! _I triumphantly hold up the tiny finished bracelet…

…and then promptly drop it.

I sigh and drop to my knees to search for it.

"Minto?"

"Mama!" Startled I jump and whack my head on the desk.

"Darling, what _are_ you doing?" She sounds concerned but I can see she's trying not to laugh.

I sheepishly look up at her and rub my head (ouchies! That hurt!).

"Um…I dropped…" I look around for the bracelet when my mother scoops it up from the floor near my feet and silently puts it in my hand. I turn around and drop it in the jewellery box so I don't lose it again before I find the perfect moment to give it to Onee-sama.

As I clear up I feel a pair of eyes on me and I turn around and discover that Mama has sat herself down on my bed.

"Mama?" She coughs uncertainatly and I had the burning desire to run away. Parental mode no. 6 – 'Attempting to connect with your child', right between 'Don't do drugs' and 'Don't talk to strangers'.

Just great.

"Are you okay, Minto?"

"Yep."

"School? We could have you moved if you wanted…"

"No, school is fine."

"I haven't seen Saki and Kimi around lately."

"No, we've…" For a moment, I'm lost.

"Grown apart?" she suggests gently.

It's true, I suppose. They were my best friends before I met Ichigo and the others but now they're not the people I want to see or the ones I can tell everything to. They don't know what I've been hiding.

They're interested in shopping, parties and boys and I'm interested in drinking tea with my friends, saving the world from aliens and the person I like is_ not_ a boy.

I should know because I was definitely watching when she was standing in her underwear in my living room (no, I'm not gonna let that go…)

"Yeah. I suppose."

"Invite some of your other friends over then!"

"Um…"

"That adorable girl, what's her name? Ichigo!"

_Adorable? Have you seen what that girl can do to a cheesecake?_

"Or Lettuce? She seems lovely!"

_True, true… Shyer than a shy thing though._

"Or that little girl…Pudding?"

_I forgot to mention what happened to her cushion…_

"And how is Fujiwara-san?"

_Current score board – Mom: 2 Minto: 0._

"She's fine. I think she's doing a modelling job in Paris soon…or Osaka or somewhere…"

"You're very close friends, right?"

"I…I…" I actually don't know.

Zakuro is possibly perfect but she has a natural mistrust of people. I'm scared she doesn't even trust me.

"I suppose." I pick up my scissors and add curls to the silver ribbon on the box.

"Invite her around again, Minto."

Placing a swift kiss on my forehead she leaves me to stew in my own confusion and heartache.

_**Courageous: adj. having or showing courage; brave.**_

"Sunday!" With a happy sigh I lean back in my sun chair. Ryou and Keichiro are doing serious Kirema anima research today so unless there is an actual attack I get to sit here all day with my tub of ice cream and get fruit cocktails brought to me all day long.

"Isn't it great?!"

"Sure is…Ichigo?!"

"Hey! Your Mom invited us!"

"Us?" I croak. Sure enough there's Lettuce, shyly waving and Pudding running around like that squirrel on caffeine in that weird children's movie about a hedge.

"Where's…?"

"Zakuro couldn't make it," Ichigo said, reading my thoughts. "She had an important photoshoot today and tomorrow."

Two Zakuro free days. I'll die!

"But you're seeing her on Wednesday, right Minto?"

"How did…"

"These are yummy!" Pudding squealed, clutching several fruit lollies in her fists and covered in red juice.

"Minto, you did not tell me your friends were so charming!" Mother – that traitor – is beaming at me and offering Lettuce some lemonade.

"Yeah, aren't they just darlings," I muttered. Ichigo ignored my blatant sarcasm and grabbed an ice cream for herself.

Ichigo knows? How can she? I certainately didn't tell her and I know Zakuro wouldn't. Zakuro never talks to anyone!!

I have no idea how she found out. To be honest her spy skills suck.

"Intuition?" I scowl at her as she obliviously sucks on a straw.

Wait, I know! She can read minds!

_Yeah, right._

"YEAH!!" A minute later Pudding dive-bombed into the pool.

"You people!!"

_Precious_

This really wasn't such a bad idea after all. But I might just be saying that 'cos my mind has totally melted.

A sudden snore wakes me up. Ichigo is curled up on the deckchair next to me. She's making a bizarre noise that is somewhere between a purr and a snort.

Her hands twitch in front of her face and she suddenly meows. _She's chasing mice again…_

Lettuce is under a tree and it looks like she and Pudding – who is sprawled on her lap – are asleep too.

It's just me.

I get up and then slide into the pool quietly so I don't wake the others. It's blissfully cold and silent…

I scream slightly as someone grabs my arm. It's Lettuce.

"Oh! I'm sorry, Minto!"

"It's ok…You just startled me, that's all."

She looks like she is going to apologise again. It's like being friends with a very timid and apologetic mouse. She's a lot braver than she used to be. But she's getting there.

I stay in the shallow end with her. She's still a little bit afraid of everything but she's not scared of facing her fears, if you get what I mean.

We both float on our backs for a while, my hair creating a dark halo around my head, Lettuce's looks like seaweed in her plaits.

"Are you alright, Minto?"

_What is this? Interrogate Mint weekend?_

"Why do you ask?"

"It's in a good way…I think. You seem happier almost but other times you look a little sad."

_That is called love, my dear, which is also extremely annoying. _

"Like…you're in love or something."

My eyes widen and without meaning I sink and swallow some water before surfacing and coughing.

"Am I right?"

I try to get the water out of my ears and look at her in surprise. I knew Lettuce was sensitive to other people but I don't know how she picked up on this.

"I shouldn't intrude but… I was just curious."

"No, it's ok."

_Better her than Ichigo anyway…_

"Yeah. Pretty much."

"Oh."

For a while nothing is said.

"Do they like you too? Or don't you know?"

"I'm not sure. It seems like it sometimes but others…"

Ripples on water, that's what she's like. Hard to catch.

How I am I supposed to know whether she loves me or not?

She won't tell me how she feels ever? How could she tell me something as important as this?

"Yeah. I know."

Lettuce looks thoughtful and then she leans back into the water again. I do the same.

"You should tell them, Minto."

I turn my head slightly so I can see her. From the look on her face, she's not kidding.

"You're a lot stronger than I am, Minto. If you really like this person, there's no point hiding it. Some days you look unhappy and I wonder if it's because of something to do with this person. And yet other days you're so happy and I think it's for the same reason. In which case you might have fallen in love with a very strange person, Minto, if they can change your emotions so much."

_You have no idea._

"Thanks Lettuce."

With a smile she pulls me up. "I'm glad I could help."

As we get out of the pool, shivering despite the heat of the day, I have to wonder – did she or did she make me more confused?

Would I ever be strong enough to tell Zakuro I loved her?

xXx S P E C I A L xXx S H Y xXx C O U R A G E O U S xXx

How am I doing? Review! Xxx Kisses and cookies!


	4. Words describing Pudding

_**Dear: adj. Beloved, precious. **_

"Turn to page 86, please. Do the exercises and then copy the map over the page. There is no need to talk."

I opened the textbook to the right page and stared blankly at it.

To be honest, unless you had shown me a picture of Zakuro, I wouldn't show any interest in anything. She was totally in my head today.

Even worse, I had to work at Café mew mew and she was somewhere else, posing for photographs in beautiful clothes.

Not that I wish I were her: just wishing I was with her. Instead of here, listening to Kimi talk about a bag she'd bought over the weekend…in_ Paris_.

I pretended to listen to them both talk and started my work – despite the threats of our teacher everyone was happily chatting to their friends. For a second, I missed Ichigo and the others.

"Minto-chaaan! Come shopping with us tomorrow! And don't pretend you have to work! We're going straight after school and you don't start work 'til later!"

"Please, Minto! We never see you anymore!"

I was saved by the bell. I hurriedly packed away and ran out before the teacher even had time to dismiss us.

I stalked through the halls, not even hurrying. It was the end of the day but there was no Zakuro, so what was the point?

Even so, I got out of school a little earlier than everyone else. The courtyard was empty, with the exception of harassed parents or bodyguards or even older siblings here to collect the teenage girls that had just started to flow out of the school doors.

Call it a super heroine intuition if you will, but since I've become a Mew mew I notice things other people don't.

There was a limo parked outside my school.

Weird? Kinda. Maybe not in front of a rich kids school: you'd think there would be. There's not. A lot of expensive, fast cars, yeah. But limos? Nu-uh. Not unless it's someone's birthday.

If you're lucky you might find a helicopter outside the school.

For some reason I walked towards the car. If I was in a movie, I wouldn't. I'm not stupid. The pretty, curious schoolgirl always gets kidnapped in suspicious, black cars.

I still wasn't surprised when I saw who was in it.

"Onee-sama?"

"Hey."

She came to my school. She was here, despite the fact that if anyone saw her there would be a riot.

She wore a dark coat with faux-fur fringes, jeans and yet another dark red top. She wore trainers and hid her face under a cowboy cat.

Hot? I definitely think so.

She stepped out of the car and slammed the door. She leant in the front window to talk to the driver for a moment…before turning and looking at me.

"Ano…Onee-sama, I thought you had…"

"I did. It finished."

"So why are you…?" She grabbed hold of my chin and tilted my face up to hers.

"Don't you want to see me?"

I squeak pathetically and she lets go. "Come on."

"What?!"

"We can walk to Café mew mew. I've told my driver he can have the rest of the day off."

"Oh…Ok!"

Now I'm walking beside her, her looking gorgeous in her catwalk outfit and then there is me in my uniform.

_Of all the times you had to come see me, Onee-sama and you couldn't have turned up when I was at home, on my bed, dressed in very sexy lingerie that made you confess your love for me?!_

There's someone laughing at me, I know it.

I want to hold her hand again. Really badly. However since my talk with Lettuce yesterday I'm scared to take a chance. I've never thought about telling her before: happy to die of unrequited love, but I don't want that.

I want _her_.

I'm now officially a coward.

"Over here."

She drags me out of my dizzy daydreams and pulls me over to a café and before I've gotten my senses straight she's ordered two milkshakes – vanilla for her, chocolate for me.

I look around. I didn't know this was so close to my school but thankfully it looks like none of my classmates do either.

It's pretty. There are flowers on our table, tulips and some other flowers that I don't recognise but smell good.

There are couples and young women with friends or alone, reading in corners. There are several high school girls, giggling over diet cokes.

I turn around and find Zakuro looking at me.

"Well?"

"What?"

"You've got that look on your face."

"I don't have a look! This is my face! I always look like this!"

"It means you've got something to say."

"Well…um..."

She waits for me to get the nerve and plays with the napkin by her hand.

"Why did you…come to…see…me?"

She looks…no, she doesn't. She expected me to say that question. I just think she's slightly hurt that I always question her motives.

But if I don't I'll get my hopes too high. I need to know.

She begins to tear up her napkin, looking down at her long fingers as they rip the delicate cream napkin.

"Don't…" She tries to say something but fails. She tries several more times. She's flustered, panicking.

"Here are your drinks." There is the clunk of glasses on the table and the waitress leaves.

And then nothing is said. It's almost like there is a bubble around us, shutting out everyone else.

"I just wanted…"

She swallows. "To see you. That's all."

I reach over and pull the napkin out of her fingers. And then replace it with my own hand. And reach out and take the other one.

"Thank you." That's all I say. I'm so pathetic.

Not that it matters. She smiles.

It's not 'til later when we've finished our drinks that we interact again. She reaches up and brushes my face with her knuckles, moving up and then tugging on my ribbons.

She affectionately fluffs my hair. "I like it like that."

"Mm!"

She laughs. And then tugs on my hand. "Come on, Minto."

_**Livewire: informal. An energetic or enterprising person.**_

"Pudding, no!" Ichigo runs past to try and stop Pudding juggling three cheesecakes while breathing fire.

Me? I'm sitting here, watching the chaos and drinking tea. If it wasn't for the voice in my head going '_Coward, coward, coward…_' I'd be just peachy.

Her? She's serving cokes to a couple of middle school girls who seem a little bit scared of her. I feel like saying 'Actually, she's normally a lot scarier…"

She seems happy today.

We walked to Café mew mew together. No one was surprised when we walked in together. Actually, Ichigo looked smug but I ignored her and went to change into my uniform.

As I tied up my apron, I looked in the mirror and thought about tying my hair up again and then I remembered Zakuro touching my face. I triumphantly flicked my hair over my shoulder and walked out.

An hour later, I'm dealing with the chaos by letting Ichigo deal with it.

"Minto! Hi!"

I drop my spoon onto the table in shock. Kimi and Saki are here!!!

Ichigo drags me over and smiles. "Hey! Are you friends of Minto's?"

Saki smiles. "Yep! We came to see you, Minto-chan!"

"You ran out so fast we didn't know where you had gone!"

I fake a smile but Ichigo is happily chatting to them. "I'm seriously busy right now but I figure you'd rather have Minto take your order instead. Bye!"

And she's gone faster than you can say 'Scram!'

They both order tea and apple pie each. When I return with their orders they make me sit down.

They ask about Lettuce and Pudding and Ichigo. They see Ryou and start squealing – believe me that happens a lot, and it happens less when you actually get to know Ryou – and they exclaim how cute the whole café is.

I thank whoever is up there that they haven't seen Zakuro yet.

But as usual my life is entertainment for The Fates that Be because a moment later Zakuro walked out from the kitchen.

They didn't recognise her, thank god. She looks different in her uniform – almost younger. They were still keen to know who she was. I had no idea how to answer that without giving her away.

"Minto, you're coming shopping on Wednesday, right?"

"What? Earlier you said tomorrow!"

"Kimi has a music lesson so we changed it. We know you don't have to work on that day!"

"But I…"

"She has plans." Zakuro appeared by my chair, tall and beautiful.

"Huh? Minto, you never said!"

"Who? Is it a date?"

"She's going out with me," said Zakuro firmly before she grabbed my arm and pulled me away. "Goodbye."

Whether they annoyed her or she was jealous all I have to say is 'Yes!'

_**Happy-go-lucky: adj. Carefree or easy going. **_

But by the next day, in Maths, I'm stressing again.

Going out? Did she mean that as a date? Why don't they have instructions for these things?!

They should put signs on people's heads. 'Yes, I fancy you,' 'I did mean a date _date_,' 'Sorry, taken.'

"Minto! Wake up!"

"Hmm?" Kimi and Saki are looking at me in a strange way.

They'd questioned me when I got in this morning – I explained I was going out with her in a friend way – though I almost choked on the words – and they seemed to accept it.

They did not like Zakuro though. They wanted to know how on Earth I was friends with her – I think the words 'rude' and 'bitch' were involved. I felt like laughing when I thought about their expressions if they ever found out it was Zakuro Fujiwara.

Not that I would tell them. Zakuro was a secret I wanted to keep to myself.

A secret that has no idea that I'm in love with her, isn't there half the time and has no problem whatsoever stomping all over my heart – and the worst thing is, she's not even aware that she's doing it.

Even worse I'm going on a 'date' with said secret.

Just great.

D E A R xXx L I V E W I R E xXx H A P P Y - G O - L U C K Y

I'm sorry; this seems shorter than the others. A sort of filler chapter before their 'date.'

Also, I realised yesterday that I didn't name the chapters! I'm sorry! I'll try and fix it.

The first one is 'Words describing Zakuro, second 'Words describing Ichigo', third 'Words describing Lettuce' and this one 'Words describing Pudding.'

That's why there are words and their definitions in each chapter. I'm sorry that I didn't make that clear before now.

Love and Hate's fourth chappie is up now too!

Xxx Prophecy-chan.


	5. Words describing Ryou

_Ryou_

_**Important: adj. Of considerable significance or consequence. Having high rank or social standing. **_

"Ichigo! I'm still all red!" Ichigo frantically brushes a strand of hair out of my eyes.

"You're flushed. _Calm down_."

She reaches for a hairbrush and calmly sits behind me and gently brushes my hair. I shut my eyes and breathe in and out, like Ichigo told me to five minutes ago when I got hysterical because I'd lost my lip-gloss.

"It'll all be fine, Minto-chan. Don't panic."

"But what if I'm not ready in time? What if I'm late? OR WHAT IF SHE DOESN'T EVEN SHOW UP?!"

"She will. Now hold still."

"Ow!!"

"I said 'hold still.'"

"I can't! Ichigo, what if I screw up?"

"Mint, at this rate I'm going to have to drug you. It will be fine. Ok? It will all be ok. Stop panicking."

Hmmph. She's one to talk. I've seen her when she has a date with Masaya.

"_Ichigo! Please come over here, I need you!"_

Still, I had to be grateful to Ichigo. She could have been out shopping or doing something fun. Instead she came over to help me when I called.

Oh god. I swear I'm going to throw up.

Ichigo recognised the warning signs and puts a cup of tea in my hands before searching my dresser for a ribbon.

I grip the warm drink in my fingers, willing my nausea to go away. Two hours until I have to meet Zakuro.

I look good anyway. When Ichigo got here I had completely emptied my wardrobe and everything from my bed to my computer was covered in skirts, tops and shorts. With me having hysterics in the middle of it all.

Ichigo had decided I should wear a pretty blue summer dress and white sandals. I had a white wrap in case it got cold later and a matching purse with sparkles on it. I wore a heart shaped pendant and several silver bracelets.

Ichigo was trying to do my makeup and hair but the less time we had, the more frantic I got.

"What if I'm too dressy?!"

"Why not? The cafe she's taking you to is really famous – you have to be A-list just to get in."

I tug at my necklace nervously. I really want this to go well.

"Ichigo! What if it rains?!"

"It won't. I checked the weather this morning before I left for school."

There's a knock at the door. "Darling? Are you ok?"

"We're ok, Aizawa-san!" Ichigo calls. She glances at me quickly. "Well, _I'm_ ok anyway."

Mama comes in and anxiously looks at me. She presses a hand to my forehead. "Are you sure you're well enough to go out?"

"Yes! Yes, I'm perfectly fine!! Really. Why?! Do I look green? Do you think we can cover that up with makeup? Even worse, I have the plague! Ichigo! Help meeeeee!!"

Both of them, the traitors, are laughing. "I think you're just fine. Eat something before you go and take a jacket. Have fun." The door clicks behind her.

I turn around to find Ichigo with a hairbrush, a pair of straighteners and an evil grin.

"Now hold still."

_**Stubborn: **__adj. unyielding or determined esp. unreasonably so. Difficult to get rid of._

The car turns into the drive and then comes to a stop just outside our house.

"Minto. She's here." Ichigo looks solemn.

I sigh and then reach for my bag.

"Have fun, darling! Call me later!" my mother is running around looking for her earrings. She has to go out too, to some charity ball.

I walk towards the door before stopping and turning around.

"Ichigo! Hide!" I hiss.

"Why?"

"I don't want her to see you! Scram!"

She scowls at me before hugging me. "Tell me about it, 'kay?"

"Sure. Thank you for helping me." The bell rings. "Ichigo!!"

She runs out of the room. "I'm gone! I'm gone!"

The butler appears in the room. "Miss Minto, a Miss Fujiwara for you."

Then she walks in and oh my god.

She's wearing a black sleeveless dress with a purple fringe at the bottom. Her sandals are a dark purple with ties and her handbag is the same blackberry colour. Her hair is loose and shimmers when she shakes her head.

"Ready?"

"Uh-uh." My voice is incredibly high pitched. She reaches for my hand. "Come on. Let's go."

I stay silent all the way out of the house and into the car. She slides in next to me, elegantly pulling in her legs and then she smiles at me as the driver shuts the door. "Ok?"

"Mm."

As the driver pulls away I can see Ichigo and Mama waving at me from a window.

_**Kind: **__having or showing a considerate nature._

"Ah, the lovely miss Zakuro. It is a pleasure to see you here again."

"Thank you. I reserved a table for two earlier?"

"A date? Oh…" The waiter saw me. I hug my shawl around me and take a step closer to Zakuro.

Zakuro only smiled. "A dear friend of mine."

"This way."

_Friend?! Friend?! That's not what I'm aiming for!!!_

Slightly sulkily I follow Zakuro to a table by a balcony. Ichigo wasn't kidding – this place is filled with people you see on a regular basis – in tabloid newspapers. It's beautiful and quiet and somewhere there's music playing.

The waiter hands us both menus and asks us what we would like to drink before drifting away.

I look up from a list of salads to find her staring at me. "So."

"So," I reply, clutching my menu to hide my shaking fingers.

"Is that all you have to say?" She looks bemused.

Oh dear god, verbal vomit. "Is it?"

"Is it what?" she asks as she reaches for a bread roll.

"A…date."

She looks indifferent, narrowing her blue eyes at me.

"It is if you want it to be."

I reach for a bread roll too. I want to do something so I don't look like a total idiot.

"Do you…want it to be?"

Her eyes are wide and curious and _nervous._

I suddenly understand what she's asking me.

My mouth has gone dry. It's like asking 'Do you like me?'

And my answer is 'yes' or 'no.'

"Your drinks. Are you ready to order?"

I can see Zakuro glaring at the waiter. She knows, as well as I do, that the moment is gone and that's it. It can't come back.

"Minto? What do you want?"

_I have to tell her. If her reaction was anything to go by she wants to know as much as I do. I have to take the risk. Lettuce was right. I can't let her go._

"Minto-chan? Are you ready?"

I close my menu with a calm smile.

"I most certainately am."

I M P O R T A N T xXx S T U B B O R N xXx K I N D

So. Chapter five. 'Words describing Ryou.' Sorry, my dears, not long to go now. cries

Really, really. I knew exactly how many chapters this story would have…and now there's not many left. pulls face

Again nothing major happened in this chapter. It's building towards the final ones though. Please don't let it be anticlimactic…

I'm working on two new Mew mew stories and the next chappie for this and 'Love and hate.' Pity me, poor tired little authoress…

I'll try and make it longer. I'm doing very badly at that, aren't I?


	6. Words describing Keichiro

_Keichiro_

_**Treasured: **__To hold dear, be fond of, attached to._

_Dong. Dong. Dong._

Downstairs in the hall our grandfather clock was chiming. I counted out nine more chimes until the house was silent again.

_Ugh… _

Zakuro had brought me home several hours ago and since then I hadn't been able to sleep.

I hadn't said anything. Nor had I given her the bracelet.

I angrily threw my pillow across the room. I guess I wasn't as brave as I thought.

Aliens are fine. Natural disasters, seen them all. Model? You'll find me behind the couch.

I sighed and rolled over. I suck.

And then I fell off the bed.

_**Friendly: **__Inclined to help or support._

"Do I want to know?" I saw Ichigo staring at my head and scowled.

"Shut up."

"Did someone punch you or something?"

"I fell off the bed," I muttered, pulling my hair in front of my face to hide the bruise on my head.

I flounced off to table three as Ichigo choked on her cheesecake.

_Traitor..._

"Hey." Zakuro was staring at me. Her eyes were closed doors. Locked, reinforced steel doors.

I looked at the ground. She knew as well as I did what had so nearly happened last night.

Ichigo was watching and Ryou, Keichiro, Pudding and Lettuce were still. The chatter of customers continued as usual.

"Hey! Can we get someone over here please?!" Shrieked a bunch of girls who had spilt a vanilla milkshake. I snapped out of my trance and glanced over to the slowly growing puddle of milk.

"Aah! It's on my dress!"

"It's in my shoes!"

"Kuri, you're such a klutz!"

"Excuse me," I ducked past her and set my tray down at table three and walked over to the spilt milk girls, pulling a cloth out of my apron as I did so.

"Ichigo! Help me!"

"I'll get a new milkshake!" Lettuce hurried on her way to the kitchen.

"Welcome to café Mew mew! Do you want to see my fire eating routine?"

I wrung out my cloth into the glass and when I looked around again the door was swinging shut. Zakuro had walked out, in the middle of her shift.

Ichigo was staring at me open mouthed.

"Minto. What _happened?_"

I scrubbed harder. "We talked about...y'know. Us."

"And?!"

"We got interrupted. By a waiter. The moment's gone and it's not coming back." I dropped the cloth as Ichigo grasped my shoulders.

"Yes! It could! Seize the day Minto!"

"Gosh, I didn't know you even knew a word like 'seize,'" I commented.

"Oh, Minto."

"I decided I should tell her..."

"Yes!"

"But I don't know if I can do it."

"No!" She wailed. "Yes! You can! Come on, Minto! You can fight aliens so fight for love!"

I stared at her. "Have you been reading your mother's romance novels again?"

"Heh...yeah...but Minto!" I looked up to find her being serious.

"Minto...don't let her go."

_**Trusting: **__Inclined to believe or confide readily; full of trust._

I changed out of my uniform slowly. I could walk home again and everyone else had already left. Ryou and Keichiro were talking in the kitchen but that was about it. It was as silent as a graveyard.

I involuntarily shivered. For some reason I was really creeped.

Like someone was watching me but I couldn't tell where from, even with my Mew mew senses.

I picked up my bag and put it on before checking everything. Lights were off, everything is locked up and I could sneak out the back without Ryou trying to make me do extra shifts next week.

I pulled the door shut behind me, wrapping my coat tighter. It had gotten colder and colder today. It was only just autumn but it had suddenly turned icy.

'So much for hanging around the pool,' I thought on my way to the front gates. I'd have to find something else to do.

I stopped by the fence outside the Mew mew café. Something was still creeping me out, little hairs on the back of my neck standing on end. But my internal alarm was silent so I ignored it.

A cat or something, I thought. It didn't matter.

I had taken another step before I came to a halt again.

_What's wrong?_

And then there was the slightest noise behind me. Like someone moving. Normal humans wouldn't have noticed it or if they had wouldn't have cared.

But on pure instinct I jumped, throwing myself high into the air and landing on a lamppost nearby.

"What a clever little birdie. Polly wanna cracker?" came a mocking voice.

"Kish."

He grinned at me. "No hellos? No pleasantries? How sad. I thought you Mews were better than that."

"What do you want?" This was so bad. I had no back up, no way of getting back up and unless Ryou and Keichiro heard what was happening and called the others I was likely to be Mew stew.

"Don't you normally stalk Ichigo?"

He floated around for a minute. "Yes...but a lost little Mew all on her own is too hard to resist."

"Get lost. There's nothing for you to transform into a Kirema anima anyway."

"Oh no?" he extended his palms. In one he held an alien. In the other...

"Deal with this, you little pest!"

I know I'm supposed to be this amazing super heroine that never gets flustered but I'm a girl. Particularly a girl that doesn't like bugs. Especially of the mutant slug alien creature type.

"Like my new pet?"

"He's as slimy as you are," I said before transforming into Mew Minto. I pulled a pose at the top of the lamppost. I _so _have this battle talk thing down. The last time Ichigo tried to argue with Kish she ended up arguing with herself and tripped over an alien to boot.

I had the advantage of wings and flight and un-sliminess but spitting huge globs of goo can really slow a girl down.

"Ugh..." I muttered, brushing at my clothes. "Slug monster spit."

"He can do a lot worse than that..." Kish was watching the show like a child at the cinema.

"How...Aiee!" Slugs are not meant to have tentacles!

Maybe they have antennas. But I don't think these are the same.

"Ungh...hey, you asshole, lemme go!"

"It's a slug, missy. It might prefer to eat you than listen."

I looked into the open hole that I supposed was the mouth. No teeth at least but straight down into dripping stomach acid. I struggled harder. I am not going to die here!

But it squeezed tighter and tighter. There was no one coming to save me.

"Silly little mew mews. If you can send a postcard." Kish giggled happily above me. And then his tone changed. "What?!"

"Ribbon Zakuro spear!"

The creature shrieked in pain and then it dropped me. A pair of warm arms caught me before I hit the ground – which was just as well because all of my Mew accelerated abilities were totally exhausted. Suddenly I was really tired.

"Minto. Minto, wake up."

"Onee-sama?" It was Zakuro! Mini me was doing a dance. Zakuro came to save me! The brave rescue in always followed by a love confession and kissing in the rain!

Zakuro leant closer but instead of kissing me she lightly slapped my cheeks. "Hey. Time to get up."

I rubbed my cheek in annoyance. "What?"

"I need your help. The Kirema anima won't stay down for long. This is a two mew job." She wrapped her arms around my waist and pulled me up off the ground. I wobbled for a second. What was that thing? Did it drain Mew mew powers or something?

"You ok?"

"Yeah. Just about." I leant on her for a second.

"Ok. Are you ready to take this thing down?" I looked into her eyes and nodded.

"Let's do it!"

"Ribbon Zakuro pure!"

"Ribbon Mint echo!"

Oh yes. Have you ever seen someone tread on a slug? So gross. But that thing totally exploded into a million slug bits – leaving behind the original icky creature and one confused alien.

This is what I became a heroine for! Fighting evil with my one true lo...

"Onee-sama!" I screamed as I was flung to the ground. She'd gone mental and shoved me to the ground, so that I landed against the wall. My bones and muscles were screaming.

Because Zakuro had pushed me out of the way she now stood in my place. I had been what Kish had been aiming for.

"What is that?! Let her go, you freak!" I screamed at Kish, who took extra delight in me watching Zakuro struggling against the bonds that held her arms tight. The ties multiplied and twisted down her body, first her waist and then down her legs, until there was no way she could escape. Saving her was up to me.

I struggled to get up, the several crashes I had taken setting in, pain sinking into my bones.

"Minto...arrow..."

Kish laughed. It grated on my last nerve, like when you scrape your fingers against a wall.

"That won't work, Little Mew. There's no way you can save your little girlfriend now!"

"Why not?" I demanded. "Give her back to me!"

He glanced at Zakuro, who was no longer struggling, her face pale and wan, half hidden by her hair.

"You can't have..." He clicked his fingers and Zakuro rose with him.

"What you can't catch." And like on a movie that's gone static Zakuro shimmered in and out of sight.

"Onee-sama! Wake up!" But she lay there, barely seeing me. Her eyes had no fight left in them.

Kish rose in the air. "See ya around, blue mew. I was hoping to kidnap you to annoy Ichigo but watching you suffer is so much more fun, don't you think?"

And then he faded, taking my beloved Zakuro with him.

"Onee-sama!" He'd kidnapped her, taken a Mew that was now defenceless against him.

And I'd let him take her away from me.

T R E A S U R E D xXx F R I E N D L Y xXx T R U S T I N G xXx

Hiya! Thank you for reading the sixth chappie of Precious!!

It's almost over!! cries I'm gonna have to distract myself with a sequel!!

So...review?

NEXT TIME: Words describing...

Can the Mews rescue Zakuro? Will Minto and Zakuro EVER get together? Can Minto discover what's really important to her?

Find out in the last chapter of Precious!!

It's going to be really long isn't it? Ugh...what have I gotten myself into?


	7. You're precious to me

When I came to my wrists were bound to a metal pipe on the roof of a building

When I came to my wrists were bound to a metal pipe on the roof of a building. My legs were bent under me and the rope dug into my wrists.

"About time you woke up." I tried to focus on the figure in front of me, force my mind to remember what had happened and who this person was.

However my companion was not one I wanted to see.

"Kish?" I asked even though it was obvious that it was the alien boy. My mouth was dry and my throat sore.

"You Mews aren't any fun unconscious," he said, floating somewhere above my head. "Kidnapping you and watching your little bird scream gave me a kick though."

_Minto._

"Where is she?" I demanded. The fact that I was tied in an unknown location at the mercy of this despicable creature meant nothing: only that I didn't have Minto with me, I didn't know if she was safe.

"God, if I'd known you were so obsessed with each other I would have done this _months_ ago," Kish muttered, still lazing on his back in the air.

"Your little bird is fine. I think. She didn't seem to like me taking you away. It was nauseating..."

I slumped against the pole, relieved. She was safe. Please don't let her come looking for me alone. Don't be stupid and headstrong like you always are, Minto.

"But she's only ok for now..." I jerked as if I'd been slapped. I hadn't thought that just because she was safe now didn't mean that Kish wouldn't exploit it to make sure I did what he wanted me to.

"What do you mean?" I spat.

He flipped over lazily and then floated to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of me. "Well, as much fun as it is teasing Ichigo I have to admit this works to my advantage. Aside from that time in the TV station I never saw much point in going for you. If I took out your leader the whole group crumbles. But I found your weakness." He smirked happily. He was enjoying my obvious pain.

"I'm going to give you a choice. You can either have Minto, alive and well...or all the other Mews. Including those two who work at the café."

It happened like a wave of understanding washing over me. If Minto lived...everyone else would die.

I pulled on my bonds, hissing like a mad cat. He jerked out of my reach, delighted at my reaction.

"You're disgusting," I growled. He laughed, the sound making my stomach turn. Everyone I loved was in the hands of this madman.

He shrugged and held his hands out, palm up to me. "It's your choice. Either five people die...or just one dies. You have 3 hours...but if your friends haven't found you by then or you haven't made a decision...they all have to go." My eyes closed, unable to take in what had happened and when I opened them again he was gone.

_Precious_

My legs had pins and needles and I was sure I had rope burns on my wrists but I didn't relent, tugging and twisting. They were looser but it wasn't enough. I was still trapped here.

Frustrated, I wrenched hard enough to nearly pull my arms out of their sockets and screamed. "God, get me _out_ of here!!"

I slumped back. Without a clock or even a watch, I had no idea how long it had been. An hour? Two? How close was it to my deadline? Would Kish be back any second, asking who I was going to sacrifice?

_Ichigo._

_Lettuce._

_Pudding._

_Ryou._

_Keichiro._

I pictured each one of them in my mind, breathing in and out slowly. I felt the rope with my fingers. It wasn't very well tied but it was enough to keep me retrained for the amount of time Kish needed me for. If I tried hard enough I could slip out of it.

Or I could be totally wrong.

I know I missed someone out of that list but if I thought of her now I'd break. Her dark hair and beautiful eyes and even more beautiful smile. I could hear her laughing and calling 'Onee-sama!' God. My heart just twisted in pain to think of her.

Minto. My most precious friend. How could we have been in an argument? Just when something like this happened. What if I never got a chance to apologise? Or to say...

Well, what could I say? I need to know, Minto. I need to you tell me. You never answered my question so just tell me. _Please._

I tug again and my left hand slips a little. This gives me hope, the tiniest flicker, that I can see Minto again. Just once. It would be enough. _Come on,_ I will silently. _Come on!!_ Little by little my hand moves, even though the rope against my skin is causing me agonising pain. Like a really bad carpet burn. Summoning up a picture of Minto I pull my hand back as far as it will go.

The pain kicks in instantly and I know my hand will be red raw but bit by bit my hands slides free. I inspect my sore hand and set to work on freeing my right hand.

­

_Precious_

It takes longer but finally I'm free. I sit down for a moment, wincing a little – damn, it _hurts_ – but it'll be worth it. I'm sure. Kish hasn't arrived yet so I want to be out of here before he gets back. On the other hand...I smirk a little as I eye the loose rope on the ground.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I don't see Kish arrive as my eyes are closed, the picture of lost hope and resigned to my fate.

"Time's up," he called. I open my eyes to see him standing in front of me, obnoxiously invading my space. I clenched my hands behind my back, wanting more than anything – no, not quite _anything_ – to throttle him.

"Come on, I want to get started here," he laughed. "Am I going to end up wiping out all your pathetic friends? Or do you have something to say to me?" His smile faded as he saw my face, the set of my jaw, the burning in my eyes and most of all the dangerous twist in my smile. Then I let the ropes I'd been holding onto fall away and revealed my weapon.

"No. Nothing to say," I said calmly. "But actions speak louder than words."

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

I didn't have any pity for the pathetic creature in front of me. I'd left him slumped on the floor, bent over, bleeding. From experience I knew nothing could keep Kish down for long but if he got up again I'd_ make_ him stay down.

"You're...mad, huh?" Kish joked, blood trickling down his forehead.

I turned to him. "What's your problem? Couldn't you just leave already? _We're not letting you have this planet._ And I'll never let you near my friends." Kish coughed, the sound grating in my ears. I wasn't so harsh that his pain made me happy: I wasn't him. But he'd threatened Minto. I'd never had a best friend before, not a real one. I _needed_ her. She cared about me so much.

"Pie and Tart are still after them," he coughed.

"Then I'll stop them too," I said coldly. He laughed softly.

"I gave you a hard choice, didn't I? Does she weigh that much against five other people? Why?"

"I don't need to explain to you," I said quietly.

"No, not really. I can guess."

"She's my best friend." He snorted.

"You're an idiot." He let his head rest on the ground as if it was too tiring to hold it up to look at me. I tightened my grip on my whip. I turned my back, unable to take anymore cryptic nonsense.

"Leave it, Kish. You've lost."

I broke into a run when I reached the stairs. I took them three at a time, jumping as fast as I could go. But on the fourth floor I only just skidded to a halt before I crashed into a familiar someone. He held up a dagger in front of him before he saw it was me.

"Zakuro?"

"Ryou?"

"You're ok?" he checked.

I nodded. "Kish is on the roof. We don't have to worry about him though. Er..." I eyed the dagger held in Ryou's hands. "You know that no one is going to take you seriously with that, right?"

He scowled, his relief I was unharmed apparently short lived.

"How did you know I was here?"

"Masha got a signal. It took a while but we managed to track you. Not..." he took in my apparently undamaged appearance. "That you needed it."

"Ryou, is everyone ok? Where's Minto?"

He started. "Everyone's fine, I think. Why are you...hey!" I grabbed hold of his wrist and pulled him after me.

We skidded out onto the street, Ryou bent over when we came to a stop outside the fire escape door. "Don't do that again."

"Which way?"

He straightened up, breathing hard. "Why are you asking?"

"Pie and Tart! Ryou, I don't have _time_ for this..."

He ruffled his blonde hair. "Lettuce and Pudding are at the café with Keichiro. Mint and Ichigo went searching for you. Not that it would have helped until we had a signal of at least a five block radius but Minto has been hysterical since we found her outside the café yesterday...hey! Where are you going?"

"I need to find Minto!" I called over my shoulder. He continued to yell at me but he got further away as I hurtled at breathtaking speed past shoppers and pedestrians. On a hunch I decided to stay in the area: Keichiro or someone would have called Ichigo's cell, told her I'd been found. Minto – determined, stubborn, reckless Minto – would have turned and headed here before Ichigo had put the phone down.

I slowed down and then stopped in the middle of the street, startling pedestrians with a Mew mew suddenly frozen in the middle of the pavement.

Wouldn't she? If I was in her place and she was taken from me I'd do anything to find her. If she felt about me the way I thought she did.

God, what did that mean? What the hell was I _feeling_?

I went from 0 to about 60 miles an hour from a stop leaving the staring onlookers in my dust.

I didn't get very far.

XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

"Minto." It was a relief to say her name aloud. To say it to her face.

She was frozen, staring at me like I was a ghost that would disappear if she spoke or even moved. Her face was pale and she looked tired and stressed. Her eyes – normally brown, now crystal blue in Mew form – were wide, disbelieving.

"Say something. Minto!" God, was she hurt? Did she not want to see me? Was every feeling I'd ever had from that afternoon in the rain to our 'date' absolutely wrong?

My inner monologue was cut off as Minto flung herself at me, arms around my neck. Her eyes were flooded. "Onee-sama!"

I rested my head against hers, a hand stroking her dark hair. She was here, safe. She was a real weight in my arms, warm and solid. She leant her head against my shoulder, sobbing. I caught tiny fragments of hiccupping speech. I moved my hand from her hair to her back.

"I'm here. It's ok." But the tears kept coming, clinging onto me like she was afraid I'd disappear again.

"Minto! We have to talk." She pulled back a little, her cheeks wet.

"About what?"

I paused lost for words. What should I say? Us. This. Whatever we have. The odd and confusing feeling I'm getting that I might actually lo...

Much to her surprise I tilted her chin up and kissed her. Her eyes expressed several emotions I couldn't read.

"I love you," I clarified, just in case she didn't understand. "Is that...ok?"

For a moment she was silent and still. I waited impatiently. Now that I realised it I wanted to know, dammit!

I panicked when I saw fresh tears pooling in her eyes. "Minto?"

"Onee-sama!" She tugged on a handful of my long hair and pulled my head down and I knew as we kissed again that she loved me for sure.

_Precious_

A month later from that day and it was raining again. I clutched my umbrella tightly and even with the darkness of the day I made sure to hide my face as I approached the building. Figures ran screaming from it's depths in groups or hand in hand into the rain. I waited at the foot of the concrete staircase.

My mind flickered back as I waited. I remembered turning around when I heard giggles, hand in hand with Minto to find Ichigo, Lettuce and Pudding standing a few feet away.

"_We saw everything!" they chorused like schoolchildren._

_I smiled, happy to see my friends. Ichigo hugged Minto tightly, momentarily taking her away from me. "Finally! It took you forever!!" Minto blushed and it did something funny to my stomach._

"_Oh, by the way we took care of Pie and Tart!" Ichigo cheered. "So we can go back to the café for cakes as a celebration!"_

_When no one said anything sarky she stopped bouncing and turned to Mint with a startled expression on her face. "You must be in love. You didn't even say what a pig I am!"_

_Minto smiled and took hold of my hand again. "You're let off this once."_

_Pudding did a cartwheel. "Cakes!" Lettuce smiled and congratulated us. They walked ahead of us back to the café while Minto and I stood side by side, wanting to be alone for a few more moments._

_I kissed her forehead and brushed aside a stray hair. "Minto. Let's go on another date soon."_

"_A real one?" Her fingers rubbed against mine gently._

_I smiled. "A real one." She paused, thinking about something._

"_Tomorrow!" she said suddenly. "I have something to give you."_

I fingered the friendship bracelet around my wrist lovingly. Nothing could tear us apart now. Not ever.

"Zakuro!" A figure with a blue umbrella skittered down the stairs. We stood in the rain staring at each other adoringly as we do whenever we see each other nowadays.

"Hi," she said breathlessly.

"Hi," I said a lot more calmly than I felt.

We silently held hands and walked away. We were going back to Minto's house where her mother would be sweet and kind and then we'd be alone again and thinking about those times alone made my heart almost break with excitement.

"Hey, you know that essay I had to write a while back?" Mint's voice broke our lover's walk silence. I nodded, remembering Minto panicking about it for a few days then being strangely smug when she'd handed it in. A few days later she'd skipped out of school, delighted that she'd gotten an A. But she'd never told me what it was about.

"Well, the teacher said we had to write about someone we considered precious to us." Her voice was casual but I knew she was waiting for my answer.

"Oh, what did you write about?"

"Someone I've been in love with for ages but never seemed to notice me. Y'know." I smiled, squeezing her palm lightly.

Minto looked up at me suddenly, her eyes full of mischief. "I love my umbrella but..." I looked up at the dark sky and the puddles about as deep as my ankles, knowing she was thinking of that time we ran in the rain together.

But it was ok. Anything with her was ok.

I kissed her in the rain then, our umbrellas falling to the ground and we stood there until we were both soaked to the skin.


End file.
